Besides visiting the chocolate farm on the island of Kauai, this was by far my other favorite activity on the entire trip. Outrigger canoeing has deep roots in Hawaiian culture and is a serious sport here in the islands with races and clubs on every island. We went with the fine folks at Maui Paddle Sports who were friendly and knowledgeable making our experience truly memorable. If you find … [Read more...]

For a really fun dinner with an awesome view make sure you check out Cheeseburger Restaurant (formerly Cheeseburger in Paradise)—The gorgeous sunset alone was worth the price of the meal but everyone agreed the burgers were also pretty terrific. I could not help myself and ordered the teriyaki burger with grilled pineapple, grilled mushrooms and swiss cheese. OMG, that is heaven on a plate right there-salty, … [Read more...]

Front Street is where all the action is, is in the old whaling port of Lahaina which is also the civic center of Maui. There are a ton of shops (lots of great places to pick up inexpensive souvenirs-just make sure they're not made in China!), art galleries and fun restaurant options here and it's quite a lively scene. Make sure you walk all the way down and check out the huge Banyan tree whose branches span an … [Read more...]

Seeing that we were in Hawaii to explore it's heritage and culture one thing on our must do list was a Hawaiian Luau and if you are planning a trip, I say it's a DO NOT MISS experience. There a many to choose from throughout the islands but the key is to find the one with the best food, best show, and most authentic that fits into your travel plans and your budget. After doing my research, we opted for the Old … [Read more...]

You cannot visit Hawaii without indulging in a shave ice and our favorite place hands down was Ululani's on Maui in Lahaina. Don’t even think of comparing this to a snow cone. The ice is fine and feathery like snow that gets shaved literally off a huge block in a a special machine and lands right into a nifty plastic cup/cone. From there, add the flavor combination of your choice and there are tons to choose … [Read more...]

Do you know what role sugar has played in Hawaiian history? It's amazing that something so sweet has left such a bitter taste for the last few remaining true Hawaiians and what's left of their culture. At the Alexander Baldwin Sugar Museum we learned about the science and history of sugar production in Hawaii. Even though this was a small and unglamorous museum, I truly felt it was one of the most educational and … [Read more...]

There are so many wonderfully unique sea creatures that inhabit the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands so after a leisurely morning at the beach, we headed to the The Maui Ocean Center to get a close up view and learn more about them. Unlike some of those big overdone Aquariums in major cities that all seem to try and wow and outdo each other, we loved that this place because it was so low key and … [Read more...]

All the Hawaiian islands are lovely, but Oahu is the most commercially developed and metropolitan of them all. Of course this comes as no surprise as Honolulu is the state capitol and Pearl Harbor has been an important military base for a very long time. Our first impression of Oahu, which in Hawaiian means "The gathering place", was the the crowds on Waikiki beach and in the surrounding shopping district along … [Read more...]

As you cruise around the historic town of Haleiwa, make sure you check out legendary Matsumoto's shave ice. Every guidebook I bought about Hawaii said we just HAD to get a shave ice here. Walking in we could tell this place had gotten a lot of press and getting a souvenir T-shirt seemed as important as trying the shave ice to say you were there. In fact about three quarters of the store was devoted to Matsumoto … [Read more...]

Can I tell you—Honolulu has some horrific rush hour traffic. I could not believe it, I thought I was back home in Los Angeles! Once we got out of the main part of town heading toward the North Shore it was smooth sailing and back to the low key Hawaii that I love. We headed up to the North Shore and Sunset Beach made famous for all the surfing competitions that happen there in the wintertime when the huge waves … [Read more...]